


Coming back

by Shakinnmovin



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Sharon Carter, F/M, Multi, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-08-23 06:22:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8317228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shakinnmovin/pseuds/Shakinnmovin
Summary: Sharon is trying to find her place in the world. With S.H.I.E.L.D gone, the CIA being tainted, the death of her beloved Aunt, Sharon's world is in complete disarray. Concentrating on Bucky, for the time being, might help her find her way to everything she ever dreamed off.





	1. Chapter 1

Sharon Carter was overlooking the reverse brainwashing procedure for Bucky. Leaving Berlin in a hurry after helping Captain America and his team, she had no where else to go but Wakanda. She was grateful to Natasha for reaching out and helping her when she was in desperate need. No SHIELD, the CIA had put her on mandatory leave, Tony was mad at her...the list was long.

Bucky was her distraction. She poured over medical journals, called experts and compiled a whole new way of "reverse brainwashing". Of course, Wakanda's doctors were exceptional. They had the latest equipment and deep knowledge of them.

Once there was an agreement between the doctors, T'Challa, Steve Rogers and Sharon, the reverse brainwashing started. It was going to be a long and hard recovery but Sharon had no doubt of everyone's dedication. Natasha never said much just a small suggestion, a tiny tweak, a doubting eyebrow lift but her input was necessary to assure Steve that everything was going to be alright.

Sharon blushed a little thinking of the kiss between her and the Cap. She had a crush on him and she expected the kiss to be a toe-curling, heart racing experience. It wasn't. The disappointment was short-lived though since other things had taken precedent.

Natasha and Steve were with each other now. And Sharon was slightly jealous. Not because it was Steve but because she had no one. Wanda and her had become close with each other due to their lack of family. Sharon had hoped that Tony would have forgiven her completely but after 7 months, his emails and responses on the phone were stiff and lacked their usual jovial nature. Sharon hadn't called Tony in 4 weeks hoping he would miss her and call. So far, no luck. 

Wanda and Vision shared quite a few text messages every day. Scott and Hope were almost always talking to each other. His earphones were always in and at times, he looked like he was a crazy man just talking to himself. Clint and his family had all moved to Wakanda. Sam was quite a ladies man and every night he had a new girl on his arm. He trained hard and partied hard. 

T'Challa was very generous with his guests and they all lived in something like a hostel within the palace walls. This gave them the security that they needed and the freedom to do what they wanted. They all had separate bedrooms which opened into outdoor verandas, a huge courtyard and a common kitchen and dining room. They usually ate together. Even though Laura and Wanda loved to cook for everyone, they had a cook as well. With the generous appetite of the males, the kitchen was always busy. 

Sharon was an early bird and ran 10 miles everyday with Sam. Natasha joined them at times but preferred training with the rest of the team in the gym. Since Sharon was more focused on getting Bucky back to normal, she spent her time at the lab. 

They were in the final phrase of waking up Bucky completely. The first phrase was just waking up his sub-conscience and molding the memories that Steve had provided. Small yet true information helped his brain cells "remember" and the more he remember, the more he became Bucky and less the Winter Soldier. 

The second phrase, was actually waking him up in the chamber for small periods of time. Those times had to coincide with Steve's presence. If Steve was available, then he was woken up. Natasha also joined at certain times since, surprisingly, Bucky and her had been assassins together for the Russians a few times. The waking up periods got longer and longer and at times he was up even for a few hours. 

Bucky was charming, funny and quite charismatic. Sharon loved to see his smile. His whole face lit up and he had the most hilarious expressions. There were a few times when he "short circuited" and you could see the Winter Soldier trying to take charge. The team always rushed him to Cryo. Sam jokingly called it the Jekyll and Hyde stage. Steve did not find it funny.

Now, it was the final phase. The Wakandan biomedical engineers found a way to reverse the memory suppressing machine using a machine coined the sub conscience enhancer (SCE). After months of building it and making sure that it would work, Bucky was placed in the SCE. But the tiny shock waves to his brain was a time consuming process. It would take weeks maybe even months before he was ready to be woken up again.

Sharon found herself in the lab most of the time. Talking to Bucky as if he were a real live person, often answering her own questions and joking around. This had been going on for 6 weeks. 

"I hate the name- Bucky. What kind of name is that?" Sharon asked as she started writing down the readings of the brainwaves. "It reminds me of a stag. I prefer just James. That's what I'll call you when you wake up permanently. James."

"You know, Steve's been very hopeful. He comes by whenever he is in Wakanda. He's been up to Avengering again. Natasha, Clint, Sam, and Scott usually go with him unless they are hurt. Laura gets a break from all the noisy men and to tell you the truth, I don't mind the peace as well." Sharon looks at Bucky's face. There isn't even a small hint that this is working. It had to work! 

"Tony hasn't called. What should I do, James? Should I call him?" Sharon reaches out to hold his hand. "I miss him but he hasn't forgiven me for helping you out." Imaging Bucky's answer, she continued talking, "No. No. I don't regret it. It was the right thing to do but...." 

Sharon yelped and let go of Bucky's hand. Bucky's finger moved. That was impossible. He was heavily sedated and was in a semi-cryo state. 

"Ok, Sharon," She tells herself softly, "Get a hold of yourself. Bucky didn't move. You just imagined it."

Slowly sitting down next to Bucky, Sharon bit her lip as she looked intently at his face. "Just your imagination, Sharon. You are so losing it. You need to get a life and leave this lab."

Suddenly, bright blue eyes opened and looked straight into Sharon's brown ones.


	2. Chapter 2

"Bucky? Bucky?" Sharon asked. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. 

Bucky's eyes remained open but he was unresponsive. 

"Bucky, I'm going to get Clint. Steve isn't here and neither are Natasha or Sam." Sharon said softly.

Walking out of the room, Sharon picks up her cell phone which is charging on her desk and calls Clint. 

"Hey, Sharon, I'm just getting ready to eat dinner with the family. Can I call you back?" Clint said before Sharon could get a word in.

"Clint..." Sharon's voice was shaking.

"Hey," Clint said with concern, "what's wrong?"

"It's Bucky. He's...He's...I don't know....He's not like he usually is. Can you come down here? It's could be nothing. It could be a nervous system response to stimuli but...I think I need someone here. Maybe I should call Wanda?"

"Hey, lock the lab and get out of there. I'll be there in 10 minutes," Clint said before he disconnects the call.

Sharon turns around and walks to the lab taking her phone with her. She puts her hand on the door knob to close it but as she does so she notices Bucky isn't lying in the open cryo chamber. She walks in and quickly scouts the room. Bucky is nowhere to be seen. She instinctively reaches for her gun but realizes that she doesn't have one on. She hasn't needed it in so long that she stopped taking it to the lab with her. 

Turning around, Sharon decides that the best thing to do was to lock herself in the lab till Clint gets there. Locking herself, she sends a text to Steve. It's short. "Bucky awake in partial cryo chamber." She looks around and looks to see what she could use as a weapon. 

"Sharon," Bucky's voice is heard through the glass door. 

Sharon turns around and sees Bucky standing there- bare feet, shirtless and armless. His arm was removed while he was in cryo. "Bucky, how did you wake up?" 

"Open the door, Sharon." 

"I can't. I don't know how safe I will be around you." Sharon admits.

"James," Bucky said simply.

"What?" Sharon questions him. 

"That's what you said you'd call me when I woke up, "James". You said you likes that name and it suited me. You said that a while ago. But you repeated it today. The first time you said it, you held my hand and said that you thought James was a noble name, a majestic one. Bucky was the name of a naughty child and I shouldn't use it once I left cryo"

Sharon continues to stare at him wordlessly.

"You said," Bucky continued, "You also said you didn't like your name. You rather have had a more exotic name like Giselle or Lalianna."

Sharon blushed as she remembered some of the things her said. She had thought he couldn't hear her and told him some pretty embarrassing stories about her college days and her early S.H.I.E.L.D training. She walked towards the door and placed her hand on the key to unlock the door. She trusted him. His eyes were so kind and so unlike the Winter Soldier's. 

"Clint is on his way," Sharon said.

"You called reinforcements," Bucky stated.

"I didn't know what to expect and..." Sharon felt like she needed to apologize.

"Sharon, I won't hurt you. Where's Steve? Natasha?" 

"In Slovakia. They had to get some information from someone."

Sharon started to turn the key when she heard Clint.

"Bucky!" Clint's baritone voice echoed through the lab.

Bucky moved back from the door, raised his one hand in surrender. "Clint."

Sharon quickly unlocked the door and stepped out in front of Bucky to protect him. "Clint, it's okay. Bucky is...well...Bucky."

Clint lowered his bow slightly. "Sharon, maybe you should step away and we put Bucky under complete cryo. We can unfreeze him when Steve and the others get back."

"NO," Sharon was surprise at her forceful tone. " We can sedate him and keep him in the cell downstairs. I'll notify T'Challa and ask him to send some guards. We'll let Steve know..." 

Before Sharon could continue, she hears a whoosh sound near her ear and hears someone slam to the ground behind her. Another whoosh sound and Scott Lang is standing there proudly next to her.

"What did you do?" Sharon turns around and checks sees Bucky on the floor.

"Did you see that?" Scott asks proudly. "Wham. Right on the jaw."

Clint runs forward. "Is he okay?" He asks Sharon concerned. 

"He's out cold," Sharon said turning to glare at Scott.

"What? Clint called me as backup and I killed it." Seeing Sharon's face, he starts to stammer. " Well, not kill it. I meant maim. Not maim just...a little tap."

"Scott" Sharon said irritated. "Shut up and carry him to the cell. I'm calling Wanda and T'Challa."

Sharon took her phone and started to call. She heard the scrapping sound of Bucky being dragged to the elevator, flanked on either side by Scott and Clint.

"Carry him! Don't drag him. He has no shoes on his feet."

With a grunt, Scott and Clint lift him off of the ground.

Sharon walks into the lab to continue her call but her phone starts to buzz. It's Steve.

"He's awake!" Steve said.

"Yes."

"We're coming home. We'll be there in 8 hours."

After sending a text to Wanda and T'Challa, Sharon places her phone back into her pocket and heads down to the cell. She was going to stay with Bucky till he woke up or at least till Steve gets there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky wakes up...

Sharon stopped by her desk on the way to the cell. She sat at her desk and tried to calm herself down. She had spoken to Bucky several times since she had come to Wakanda. Whenever he woke up, Sharon and the others spent time with him. She was never alone with him but every time he looked at her, her breath caught in her chest. She felt like a school girl trying to be cool in front of her crush. Every word she said was rehearsed several times before it was spoken. Every outfit she wore to see him, was carefully considered several time. She felt that her emotions were written all over her face and everyone who looked at her knew what she was feeling. 

The phone in her pocket vibrated. She had a message from Rhodey. She didn't open it. She was already emotional and a message from Rhodey would be too much to process at the moment. Sharon got up and wiped her sweaty palms on her black slacks. She walked to the cell and saw Wanda was already there. She has her eyes closed and was trying to read Bucky's mind. Normally, that freaked Sharon out. But in this case, it was necessary. 

T'Challa was with his aides, talking in hushed tones. Sharon gave him a slight smile and proceeded to stand near the door of Bucky's cell. His cell was made of glass. But not any ordinary glass, it was infused with alumina making it the strongest glass in the world. The only way anyone could get in or out was through the sliding glass door which was retina controlled. 

"Bucky dreams a lot in his sleep," Wanda said to Sharon. 

"So this is Bucky? Not the Winter Soldier?" Sharon asked.

"At the moment, he's Bucky."

"How do you know when he isn't?" 

"Bucky has a past. He remembers his childhood, the war, pain, friends, family... the winter soldier remembers just one thing- his assignment."

Sharon nodded sadly. "For now, we have Bucky. Steve will be pleased."

"And some other people as well." Wanda gave Sharon a knowing smile.

Sharon feigned innocence. "What does that mean?"

"You know very well what that means. You weren't just trying to bring back Bucky because it is the right thing to do." Wanda said.

"Nonsense."

Sharon straightened out the collar of her neat button down gray shirt and looked at Wanda. "So who has been given access to Bucky? Did T'Challa say?" Sharon changed the subject.

"Fine," Wanda rolled her eyes, "I think it's only limited to you, Steve, Dr Macha, and T'Challa himself. He asked me and the others if we wanted access but we didn't think it was necessary."

T'Challa walked over to Sharon. "Good work, Ms Carter. I think Mr Buchanan is well on his way to leaving the Winter Soldier behind."

"Thank you but it was a team effort." Sharon said modestly.

"I will leave you to it. When Captain Rogers returns, I would like him to send me an update." T'Challa commanded.

"Of course. I will let him know."

T'Challa gave Sharon a slight bow and walked swiftly away back to the palace. Wanda and T'Challa's aides followed him out leaving Sharon alone.

Sharon looked straight into the retinal scan and the doors of the cell opened. She looked around to see if his heart rate, pulse and brain waves were all normal. Taking an ointment from one of the cabinets, she rubbed it on the bruise forming on Bucky's jaw. 

Bucky stirred a little and then swallowed. His eyes opened and once again, she was staring at his beautiful blue eyes. 

"Hey," Sharon said sweetly.

"Hello," Bucky responded, looking slightly confused. 

"Do you remember what happened?" Sharon asked.

"Not sure. I was talking to Clint. You jumped in front of me and then, I felt this intense pain."

"Scott thought he was saving the world." Sharon said apologetically.

"Ah! Scott. Act-first-think-later guy." Bucky said with a wince.

"Exactly." Sharon said with a chuckle. She continued to rub the ointment. "It isn't broken. But its going to hurt for a few days... Look who I'm talking to? A super soldier. You'll be fine by morning."

"Can you do me a favor?" Bucky asked.

"Depends on what you're asking?" Sharon replied suspiciously. 

"Can you call me James?" Bucky asked simply.

Sharon turned lobster red but complied, "James."

"I love the way you say it." Bucky's smile was flirtatious.

Sharon smiled, got up and placed the ointment back in a drawer. 

Bucky watched Sharon move around the room. "You look like the silent type but you aren't. You talk. A LOT!" 

"Actually, I am considered to be on the reserved side. But there has been a lot going on in my life and I needed someone to listen." Sharon said embarrassed.

"I know. I heard everything."

"Do you remember everything I told you?"

"Bits and pieces. I do remember something about a wet T-shirt contest- I have no idea what that is- and something about a bong." Bucky actually wiggled his eyes as he said the word "bong". 

"Oh my gosh!" Sharon turned her face around and busied herself arranging something in a drawer.

"It's OK, darlin' You should hear some of the things I did in my youth." 

"I should go and you should sleep. Steve will be here in 6 hours and he'll want to spend time with you." Sharon said

Bucky nodded. "Can you adjust the bed? My head feels so low."

"Sure," Sharon walked over and picked the remote on the side of the bed. Bucky's head slowly moved up and Sharon adjusted the pillows. She looked down at him. Their lips are so close. Sharon could feel Bucky's breath on her cheek. She felt hot all over and her heart was racing .

"Night," Sharon said and left the room. It took all her willpower not to turn back.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girl talk and texts

Sharon groaned as the sunlight from the open window hit her face. She burrowed herself deeper into the comforter. She was exhausted.

"Sharon Carter! Rise and Shine," the cheery voice of Wanda hit her ears.

"Wanda! What the ...?" Sharon peeked from under the comforter. "What time is it?"

"A little after noon," Wanda answered.

"What?" Sharon shouted as she jumped out of bed.

"Relax," Natasha said coolly.

"What are you both doing in my room?" Sharon asked.

"Well, I just got back from a mission and instead of celebrating its success with Steve, he's decided to walk down memory lane with Bucky." Natasha said with irritation lacing her voice.

"And I wanted to get the gossip about last night so I tagged along?" Wanda said.

"What gossip?" Sharon asked. She ran her fingers through her hair to make it somewhat presentable. 

"You know...you and Bucky..." Wanda sang the words like a Disney princess which was getting on Sharon's nerves.

Sharon looked at Natasha who had her trademark smirk. "So you like Bucky?"

"No. I don't. I was just helping him. Well, I was helping Steve actually." Sharon protested. She headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

"Where are you running off to?" Wanda asked.

"It's noon. I better get ready and head to the lab. I'm surprised no one called me from there."

"I lied. It's 7:00 am." Wanda said.

"Wanda!" 

Wanda smiled wickedly at Sharon. Then turned to Natasha, she asked, "So how is Bucky doing?"

"He seems fine. Normal actually. Steve and Bucky started talking about Brooklyn and I just got bored. They were devouring breakfast when I left them." Natsha said with a bored expression.

"Did he ask about Sharon?" Wanda asked.

"Where are we? In high school?" Sharon asked exasperated walking to her closet.

"Well.." Nastasha started.

Sharon turned around swiftly and looked at Natasha. 

"...for a girl who says she isn't interested in Bucky, she certainly acts like she is interested in Bucky." Natasha smiled.

"I'm not...I don't know...He seems really nice and he smells so good," Sharon whined as she settled back into bed. 

"Ah- ha!" Wanda said triumphantly. "I told you." She pointed her index finger at Sharon and then at Natasha, then back again to Sharon.

Sharon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It's just a crush. It's nothing. There aren't any available men here and I just got..."

"What?" Wanda interrupted. "There's Sam, Scott, T'Challa, a horde of gorgeous doctors and muscular body guards...and they aren't in a coma. Plus half of them openly flirt with you."

"Sam flirts with everyone who has a pulse. Scott has Hope. T'Challa doesn't flirt. He is just polite. And the gorgeous horde, as you put it, of men are professional and not interested in me in that way."

"Oh hon," Natasha said, "you are so oblivious to the attention cause you are into Bucky."

"No, I'm not and to prove it, I'll go out on a date with someone. Tonight!" Sharon said with determination.

"Hum-mm... That's not fair to the poor guy. You're just using someone to prove a point." 

"i'm not trying to prove a point. I just want this crush to go away. I've been so focused on work and that work, being Bucky, just took over my life. A date is just what I need to put things into perspective." Sharon said.

"Ok," Wanda said disappointed, "but you and Bucky look so cute together."

"Well, if you want a cute couple, there's always Steve and Natasha." Sharon said with a smile.

Natasha rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Are you going to go out with Sam?"

"I think I might," Sharon said as she picked up her phone. She was going to text Sam but there was a message on her phone from Rhodey that she hadn't read yet. She glanced up quickly and saw Natasha and Wanda talking with each other so Sharon goes to the bathroom and shuts the door. Leaning against the closed door, Sharon opens the message.

"Share-bear, its Rhodey. How are you? How's Indonesia?" Sharon winced. She had lied to Tony and told him that she was relaxing on the white beaches of Tanjung Bira. She continued to read the text.

"Tony has pulled strings and thinks you can work for the CIA again. I wouldn't though. I think Stark Industries could use someone like you and you can keep an eye on Tony. Sharon, hon- you haven't called in 3 weeks and the man is just miserable. He keeps waiting for a call, a text or something from you. He won't say it but he misses you. You are the only family he has left. He's angry and confused and lonely and he's taking it out on you. But you know Tony, he loves you and maybe if you came and talked to him directly, you both can sort it out. Just think about it. I'm trying to get him to open up...I haven't been very successful though. CALL HIM!"

A date was the furthest thing on her mind but she was now more sure than ever that her crush on Bucky would just remain a crush. She couldn't hurt Tony and date the man who killed his parents. With a sigh, Sharon went to the bathroom cabinet, pulled out her toothbrush and started to brush her teeth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets always come out...

Sharon nervously looked in the full length mirror hanging on the back of her bedroom door. She was wearing a midnight blue lace dress that fell slightly below her knees. Slipping into her white high heeled T-strap sandals, Sharon considered cancelling her date with Sam. 

Sam was a pretty nice guy, handsome and constantly joking around. Sharon could have sworn that he didn't have one serious bone in his body. But she felt guilty going out with him, which was stupid. Bucky wasn't her boyfriend. For goodness sake, they hadn't even kissed. 

Deciding against cancelling, Sharon hurried down the stairs, into the lobby and out through the huge double doors into the front yard. Sam was already waiting.

"Daaaaayyyum" Sam let out a three syllable damn. "Don't you look good enough to eat." He looked at her from head to toe and then back up again. He gave her a huge smile and held out his hand with an exaggerated bow.

Sharon had to laugh while taking it. Sam was good for her self-esteem. He was openly and shamelessly ogling her and Sharon didn't hate it. It was nice to be admired every once and awhile. 

"So where are we headed?" Sharon asked as she seated herself in Sam's car.

"I made reservation at this authentic Italian restaurant downtown. They have an Artisanal Rigatoni that is out of this world. I pre-ordered it for us and I know you'll love it."Sam said as he started the car's engine.

Sharon didn't say anything but she didn't like the fact that her date pre-ordered their dinner. Maybe she didn't feel like eating Artisanal Rigatoni? Did Sam think of that? 

Apart from Sam's slight bossiness, Sam was a gentleman. He opened doors, pulled her chair out for her, made sure she was comfortably seated away from any draft, and her wine glass was always full. The conversation was easy going and didn't feel forced. But Sharon felt something was missing. 

Sam had the glassy eyed look whenever she spoke about work. She tried changing the topic to something more interesting but somehow the conversation always turned back to work. Well, that's were Sharon's thoughts always drifted to. 

After a wonderful dinner, Sam walked Sharon to her door. 

"Thank you for a very pleasant evening," Sharon said politely.

"Maybe we should do it again sometime," Sam suggested.

Sharon didn't say anything but started to fumble with the keys in her hand. Then she looked straight into Sam's eyes and said, "Look Sam, tonight was very nice..." 

"But you didn't feel anything," Sam concluded.

Sharon smiled apologetically. "We can still go out as friends."

"Of course," Sam said, he leaned over and gave Sharon a peck on the cheek. 

Sharon turned and went to her room. 

Once the door closed, Sam spinned on his heel. The night was still young. 

*****************************************

"The fun has arrived", Sam said as he swaggered into Bucky's room. He looked slightly tipsy. He had spent the last 3 hours drinking at a local bar and had women fawning all over him. Returning home, he saw Steve's car parked in front of the lab and decided to drop by.

"You look all dressed up. Go on a date, did you?" Steve asked tearing his eyes away from the screen. He was teaching Bucky about Xboxes. They were playing Battlefront.

"Yes, I did." Sam sat heavily on a chair by the door. "And then I went to a bar."

"Which hapless girl fell to your charms this time? Steve asked while Bucky continued to concentrate on shooting some storm troopers.

"Sharon."

Bucky dropped the control.

"Sharon?" Steve asked in surprise, not noticing Bucky drop the control. He paused the game and walked to where Sam was sitting. The small table in front of the 2 chairs was filled with burgers and fries.

Bucky didn't say anything but stared at Sam. His eyebrows were drawn together and his lips were tightly pursed.

"Yeah," Sam said as stole a fry from Steve's plate. "But between the three of us, it didn't go too well."

Bucky wasn't aware that he was holding his breathe but hearing Sam say that the date didn't go well, allowed Bucky to let out a lungful of air.

"Why?" Steve asked as he chewed his burger.

"I don't know," Sam said, continuing to steal fries, "she seems a little put off with the restaurant. She talked about her work a little too much and I drifted a bit. I think she sensed that. I don't know...she was a bit more serious than I thought she would be." Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know but, man, she looked hot. She did great things for my cred. Being seen with a woman like that..." Sam let out a whistle. "I had to go to the bar and get a little "energy" out after seeing Sharon."

Steve just shook his head in disbelief while Bucky was getting a little pissed. 

Sam didn't read the mood of the room and continued, "Have you seen her spar with Natasha and Wanda? She's like a cat. All smooth, elegant. I expected some feistiness."

"Maybe she's feisty with the right person," Bucky thought but before he could say it out loud, Steve changed the topic. He started talking about going to Russia for some ops work in 2 weeks.

Bucky totally zoned out of the conversation between Sam and Steve. He was thinking of Sharon and hoped she would come by the next day. He hadn't seen her in 22 hours and he already missed her.

******************************************************  
Sharon was in Bucky's room at 8:00 am on the dot. She had brought a nurse up with her. 

"Why didn't you come yesterday?" Bucky asked as Sharon watched the nurse drawing blood from Bucky's arm.

"You were reconnecting with Steve and I was giving you both some space," Sharon said simply. She took the vials from the nurse, labelled them and handed them back. 

The nurse walked out and Sharon started to leave as well, Bucky's hand shout out and gently grabbed Sharon's elbow. 

"I think Steve and I are all caught up," Bucky said to Sharon. " Maybe you can stay and tell me about this new world we live in."

Sharon let out a laugh. "That will take a while."

"I'm not going anywhere," Bucky settled back on the bed and placed one hand behind his head. Sharon sat down on a chair next to him. She smiled at him and started to talk. 

Bucky didn't bring up Sam. He had no right to be jealous even though he was. The rest of the day passed on easily. Steve came by a couple of times and Natasha came once and gave Sharon her customary smirk. Even Wanda came by and though she didn't read Bucky's mind, she looked a little doubtfully at him. Sharon made a mental note of asking Wanda about that later. 

Mid-afternoon, T'Challa stopped by. He spoke to Bucky about his accommodations and apologized for the cell. Bucky understood about the necessity of staying there for the time being and was grateful to not be in cryo any longer and said so to the King of Wakanda. 

"Sharon," T'Challa said, "a word in private?"

"Of course," Sharon said as they stepped out of the room. She could feel Bucky's eyes watching them. T'Challa led her out of the lab and into a small conference room. He sat at the head of the table and pointed to one of chairs for Sharon to sit on.

Soothing out the back of her bright red skirt, Sharon sat down and crossed her legs. She started to shake her legs to ease her nervousness. She knew what the meeting was about.

"It's time," T'Challa said.

"Can we give it one more week?" Sharon asked pleadingly.

"I see no indication that we should wait. It is inhuman to keep Bucky there longer than necessary. I thought you of all people would approve of this." T'Challa said with surprise.

"I agree. But I have to ask Steve and it isn't an easy conversation to have with him. Not under the present circumstances." Sharon said.

"You're making this too personal," T'Challa said impatiently. "You don't need to ask Steve anything. If you wish, you can tell him. But remember Sharon, you are in charge of Bucky's care. Not Mr Rogers."

T'Challa got up and with a slight bow left the room leaving Sharon worried. She had to tell Steve. Gosh! He was going to hate her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve finds out what Sharon has been keeping from him.

Sharon walked out of the conference room towards Bucky's cell to gather her things and then find Steve. Unfortunately, Steve was in Bucky's room. They were both back on the rug playing some video game. Walking in, she refused to look at either of them. She just quietly gathered her items, cleared her throat and said, "Hey Steve, Can I have a word?" 

"Sure," Steve said putting his controller down and looking at her with a bright smile.

"Oh gosh!" Sharon thought, "he's going to hate me!"

"In private, I mean." Sharon clarified.

"Oh right!" Steve said as her got up and left the room for Sharon to follow. 

Sharon gave Bucky a weak smile and started to follow Steve. 

"Hey," Bucky asked gently, "everything okay?"

Sharon didn't answer. She shrugged her shoulders and walked out.

Steve was standing by the elevators. "I know what you're going to say. And I say we go for it." Steve said excitedly.

"Huh?" Sharon frowned. "What..."

"T'Challa and you want to let Bucky out. I know it's a little soon but he looks great and I'll keep an eye on him. In fact, I was thinking he can move where we all are staying. They way we can all help him adjust and he's be more comfo...."

"No, Steve," Sharon interrupted. "T'Challa feels that we need to call Bruce Banner in to do the final assessment. We are too close to the situation to make a decision and Bruce is a neutral party. Plus..."

"What the hell, Sharon? Why would T'Challa suddenly bring up Bruce? We don't even know where he is?" Steve said angrily. "We haven't been able to locate Bruce in over a year. To find him is going to be next to impossible, then to convince him to help us and drag him back here?"

"Steve, I've been touch with him for the last 8 months." Sharon said.

"What?" Steve sounded so betrayed.

Sharon had the good grace to look guilty. "I can contact him. I don't know if he'll come here but maybe if ...."

Steve slams a fist into the wall next to him leaving a huge hole.

Sharon jumps backwards in surprise but continues to talk. "I know you're upset but I looked for Bruce because not only is he a gifted physicist and a medical doctor but an avenger who has his own transformation nightmares."

Steve just stood there like a statue and stared at Sharon. From his face, you could tell he was trying to compose himself. 

"When we started helping Bucky," Sharon continued "we had the best minds in medicine in one room as well as scientists and avengers but we couldn't help him because everything was so compartmentalized. Bruce is all that we needed put in one person."

Steve's teeth were clenched tight but his lips opened the smallest bit and he asked, "How did you find him?"

"He was in a remote island helping the natives. He usually tries natural remedies before modern medicine. I knew if we waited patiently, it would just be a matter of time before he needed something big. When I saw an unusual shipment of a chemotherapy drug going to a remote destination with no known doctors, I knew I found him."

Steve didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry but I am going to do this for everyone's sake," Sharon said. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and pushed the button of the elevator. " And I started looking for him before the Accords came out so it was a long wait."

"You know I am Natasha's second choice. If Bruce comes back, she'll go to him." Steve said sadly.

Sharon looked at Steve in disbelief. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No. She would never do that. She loves you. She isn't very demonstrative with her feelings, I know, but she wants only you."

Steve scoffed and looked at Sharon. "How do you know?"

"Because she told me." The elevator pinged before opening. Both of them ignored it.

Steve look a sharp intake of air. "She told you? But she didn't tell me?"

"She will. When the time is right. But what kind of relationship do you have with her when you feel that you are her alternative and not the real deal. Maybe she senses that and isn't willing to tell you how she feels until you completely commit yourself."

"I am sorry that I hid something from you," Sharon continued. "I know you're angry but look at it from my point of view. Natasha had moved on, she didn't want Bruce so what difference would it make to you if I contacted him or not? The only reason, I didn't tell you was because I didn't want you to feel conflicted."

"Conflicted?" Steve questioned. Steve's eyebrows were drawn together into a frown.

"I knew you wanted Bucky to be back to normal and your relationship with Natasha was just becoming serious, I wanted you to have both. I didn't want you to feel that you have to choose between the two." Sharon reasoned.

Steve's face softened a bit. Sharon wrapped her arms about Steve and rested her head on his chest. "You deserve the best. You always put yourself last. I promised Aunt Peggy that I would take care of you."

"I'm 70 years older than you, shouldn't I be taking care of you?" Steve asked with a chuckle.

Sharon laughed and stepped back. "You do and I take care of you. That's how friendships work. Go and talk to Natasha."

"I thought you were going to contact Bruce." Steve said.

"Yeah, I will. It's the middle of the night for him. I'll give him a call in the morning."

"Thanks!" Steve walked into the open elevator, stepped in and gave Sharon a small wave as the doors closed.

Sharon went to Bucky's cell again. Bucky was in a chair reading a magazine.

When he saw Sharon, he asked "what was that all about?"

Sharon sat on Bucky bed, crossed her legs at the ankle and told him everything. After she finished, she waited for Bucky to make a comment.

'I understand. It makes sense," Bucky said.

"Really?" Sharon asked.

Really," Bucky stated. "but you have to remember, Steve might have made this miraculous physical transformation from a scrawny, sickly Brooklyn kid to Captain America but mentally he's still that kid. He's insecure."

"That makes sense," Sharon said thoughtfully. 

Bucky walked over to where Sharon was sitting and Sharon uncrossed her legs. He placed his right hand on her hip. Sharon looked up and scooted towards him so she could wrap her legs around Bucky's. He moved his head towards Sharon and touched her lips lightly with his.

"James," Sharon said just before she moved closed to him. His lips were warm, soft and so smooth. He tasted good. The kiss was slow and thorough. His hand moved from the small of her back, upwards to her neck and settled into her hair. Grabbing a fist full hair, he gently pulled her head back to expose the smooth column of her neck. Bucky sucked the soft skin and felt a thrill when he heard Sharon moan. Then, his hand moved back down to her back, pushing her firmly against him. 

Sharon grabbed the front of Bucky's shirt, she felt an electric sensation move from her neck and settle between her legs. "James," Sharon moaned again. 

"Sharon, the things I want to do to you, dream of doing to you, a lifetime wouldn't be enough to show you, do you want me to start?" Bucky asked seductively.

Sharon answered by grabbing Bucky's face and slamming his lips with her own. Her tongue searched for his and when it found its target, it moved roughly and urgently against it.

Sharon moved her head. "I want to but we have to stop. Anyone can walk by, and I don't want to..." Sharon drifted when Bucky found a sensitive spot between both Sharon's collarbones.

Then suddenly Sharon felt cold, Bucky had moved away from Sharon. "What...?"

Sharon saw why Bucky had stopped. Wanda was right outside the cell, a huge, mischievous smile on her face.

"Ah!" Sharon groaned. "I'm never going to hear the end of this."

Bucky smiled at Sharon and lifted her chin with his finger. "I think you better let her in or she's going to stand there till you do. Her smile reminds me of a Cheshire cat. Creepy."

Sharon slid off of the bed to let Wanda in. 

"Sorry," Wanda said apologetically to Bucky and turning to Sharon, lowering her voice so that only Sharon could hear, she continues, "but I really need to talk to you. It's about Tony."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce's arrival...

Three weeks later:

Sharon stood near the helipad watching the helicopter carrying Bruce Banner make its final descent. She was flanked on either side by Steve and Natasha. She didn't even have to look at Steve to know he was tense. She could feel the stress radiating from his body.

Natasha was going over the long list of Bruce's list of necessities on her phone. He wanted his own private lab with exclusive access, MRI machines, EEG machine, a CAT scan machine, laboratory equipment and a whole host of other items. Bruce had sent the list over to Natasha and she, in turn, had given Sharon the responsibility of acquiring the medical items. Sharon had no idea why Natasha was hiding the list from her and when she asked, Natasha said, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you." Now, as they waited for Bruce to arrive, Sharon wished that she had probed a bit further. 

The wind picked up as the helicopter made it's landing. Sharon's hair was flying all over the place. She looked at Natasha who's face was expressionless. 

Natasha was the first person to go towards the helicopter. Bruce looked older and tireder than Sharon remembered. Steve met Bruce halfway and they shook hands- a quick, firm shake. 

"Sharon," Bruce said sweetly, "how are you?"

"Bruce," Sharon said as she leaned over to give him a hug. "I am good. I hope the trip was not too terrible."

"It wasn't too bad," Bruce said and turning to Steve he said, "Nat assured me that you would be available for the next month or so."

Steve nodded and Sharon noticed a pained expression his face. She was definitely missing something. 

The four of them walked down the small flight of stairs to the elevator that took them to the basement. The long two minute ride to their destination was quiet. Each person was wrapped in their own thoughts. 

Once they reached the laboratory, Bruce headed towards the retinal scanner. The door opened and he went in. Steve, Natasha and Sharon followed. 

"Exactly to your specifications." Natasha confirmed.

Bruce looked around, nodding his head in approval. "Perfect. When do I get to meet Bucky?"

"Bucky is in a cell on the 2nd floor, heavily guarded. The cell can be moved and connected here," Steve said as he pointed to a door at the end of the lab. 

"Let's start first thing in the morning then," Bruce said as he rubbed his hands together. 

"What time should I be here?" Sharon asked.

Three pairs of eyes stared at her. Natasha was the first to speak. "Sharon, I think you should sit this one out for a while."

"Why? I've been in charge of Bucky all this time. Have I done anything wrong?" Sharon asked doubtfully.

"No, No," Bruce quickly said. "I just would prefer to work with Natasha and Steve at this point. It might made it less stressful for Bucky."

"Bucky is comfortable with me. In fact, I think my presence might just help him. I've been with him almost everyday for months. He knows me." Sharon insisted.

"Sharon," Natasha said firmly, "I am sorry but you can't be here because some of our methods are going to be unorthodox and, sometimes, just crude."

Sharon frowned and waited for Natasha's words to sink in. "Wait, Wait," Sharon looked at Steve, "you approved of this. Are you going to torture him? He's your friend. Your best friend. How could you approve?"

Steve ran a hand through his short, blonde hair. "We have to, Sharon. We have to subject him to extreme conditions and see if he reverts back to the Winter Soldier. I don't like it but we need to be sure. For his sake more than ours. He needs to know that he can live a normal life and have no doubt about his integration back to society."

Sharon couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could feel her entire body clench in anger and letting out a deep breathe, she said, "I can't be a part of this? I can't. I'm going to T'Challa and he will put a stop to this...." Sharon started to move but stopped when she heard Natasha talk. 

"He approved," Natasha said.

Sharon couldn't believe what she was hearing. Looking from Natasha to Steve, she said "Bucky trusts you," Then she looked at Natasha and Bruce. "Don't do this. It's inhuman."

"No, " Natasha said strongly, "what was done to him was inhumane. We are helping him get back to normal."

Sharon shook her head adamantly, "I can't be a party to this. I'm going to tell Bucky and he will not be..."

This time it was Steve who interrupted Sharon. "He knows, Sharon. I told him everything. You don't understand how hard this is for me. For all of us. But this is the only way." Steve insisted. "I have thought of nothing else but this for the last 3 weeks."

"Keep telling yourself that, Steve. I'm leaving." Sharon said angrily as she spun on her heel and walked out towards the elevator. "I can't believe you left me out of this, Steve."

"And you didn't tell me about Bruce." Steve shouted

"So what was this? Revenge? Well, I guess we're even now," Sharon screamed back.

Bruce and Natasha looked shocked at Steve and Sharon. They were always so polite and nice. The shouting was so out of character. 

"Steve," Sharon turned back to Steve and walked towards him, "I have done so much for you. Your entire team, I can't believe you are treating me like this. Like my opinion doesn't matter."

Sharon felt tears threaten to fall and quickly made her exit. There was no way she was going to let anyone see how much Steve had hurt her. Stepping into the elevator, she punched the button with more force than necessary. As the doors closed, she caught sight of Natasha's guilty face.

"Good," Sharon thought nastily, "I hope she feels like shit."  
\------------------------------

Sharon didn't go to her room. She stood in front of Wanda's door and before she could even knock, she heard Wanda's voice, "Come in. It's open."

One look at Sharon's face and Wanda asked, "What happened? Did Stark do something?"

"No. This isn't about Tony," Sharon said as she stood by the door. She told Wanda the whole story. 

"I'm hurt, Wanda." Sharon had flopped down on a bean bag and kicked her shoes off. 

"Understandable." Wanda sat cross-legged on the bed and was giving Sharon her full attention. 

"Really hurt. What do I do?" Sharon asked. "Am I overreacting?"

"No. But maybe you need some time to process and maybe this is a sign," Wanda suggested.

"A sign?" Sharon asked confused. 

"That you should meet up with Tony especially after what he did 3 weeks ago," Wanda said.

"Wanda- he got drunk and destroyed the Avengers headquarters. That's just like him. He has the money to fix it. Besides, I told you I wouldn't go to him unless he asks me to." Before Wanda could respond, Sharon held up her hand indicating that she wasn't finished. "Wanda- my usefulness has run out. I am not this paper pushing person, I used to be out there. In the field and I have missed it. Maybe I need to just leave Wakanda and go back to DC. Accept the punishment and move on with my life."

"Sharon- that's utter nonsense. You're hurt and you aren't thinking straight." Wanda got up from the bed and sat on the floor in front of Sharon. "Look- Steve loves Bucky. Maybe he is right. This might be the only way to make sure that Bucky is normal again. I know you are sticking to your principles when it comes to Tony but Viz keeps telling me how horrid Tony's behavior has become. He's not sleeping. He's working half of the time and drunk the other half. You don't have to agree with Tony but you have to reach out. You need to take a few days and think about this. Don't run off and get into trouble."

Sharon sighed and said, "You're right. Absolutely right." Taking a pillow and covering her face, Sharon screamed into it. 

"You need to go to the gym and hit something. Sam has taken up boxing and he deserves to be punched." Wanda suggested.

Sharon laughed. "That he does."

"Why don't you sleep here tonight? Everything will be better in the morning." Wanda said. "And if not, Sam's face awaits."

"Thanks. I'm taking you up on that." Sharon sighed again and moved around to get more comfortable on the beanbag.


	8. Chapter 8

Sharon was a morning person. There was nothing like the smell of the fresh, crisp air. As she ran, she felt the tensions of the day before melt away. She also started to think about what was right for Bucky. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she failed to notice a dark figure standing by the trees on the pathway. The person stepped right in front of her.

"Fuck, Rogers," Sharon said angrily, "You scared the crap out of me. Where the hell did you come from?"

"I'm sorry. I rarely run this way in the morning but thought I would change things up. I saw you running behind me and thought we could talk," Steve said apologetically. 

"Sure. As soon as my heart rate gets back to normal," Sharon placed her hand on her heart as she bend her body at the hips and stretched her legs. 

Steve shifted his weight from one leg to another waiting for Sharon to speak first.

"So..." Sharon began. Instead of continuing, she raised an eyebrow and gave Steve the go-ahead to talk.

"First of, I'm sorry," Steve said somberly.

"For?" Sharon prodded. There was no way she was going to make it easy for him. 

Letting out a huge sigh, Steve continued. "For keeping Bucky's treatment from you. I should have told you but..." Steve let out another sigh and then turned away from Sharon. He walked a couple of steps and turned back to her. "I didn't tell you because even though I was mortified about the treatment plan, I knew it was the right thing but you...I didn't want you to think that I was one of those people."

"Those people?" Sharon coaxed.

"Those people who do bad things and say it's for the greater good." Steve said.

"Oh Steve, I would never have thought that." Sharon said.

"It's the right thing, Sharon. I hate to say it,"

"I know"

"Really?" said Steve surprised. 

"Yeah and if you had told me, I would have agreed with you. We would have had a heated discussion but I would have agreed eventually," Sharon admitted. "And about Bruce..."

"I'm not angry about Bruce." Steve said quickly. 

"I don't blame you if you did."

"I really don't," Steve insisted.

"But the next time you go over my head..." Sharon began.

"I won't ever," Steve promised.

"But if you do, super soldier or not, I'll kick your ass," Sharon said. She said it with a smile but Steve knew she was dead serious.

"And I'd let you," Steve said.

"So, about Bucky..." Sharon said.

"You can help Bucky. Not during the treatment but before and after. We'll need help with prep work and at the end of the day. I want a detailed report of injuries, mood changes, healing time. Anything out of the ordinary." Steve started to walk back towards the house. Sharon walked beside him. 

"I can help during as well," Sharon said.

"You can't be there Sharon. Bucky trusts you and he needs a person who is there on the other side of the treatment. Nat and I need to be there and so does Bruce. Sam might be needed occasionally but I have spoken to both Scott and Wanda. They are willing to help you if they are needed. I have also asked Scott to head a couple of missions. You might be needed in the control room. I would have let you go with them but...you haven't been in training as much as I would like and this might ease you back into being more active in the field." Steve said authoritatively. 

Sharon felt like Steve was leaving out something. "I feel like there is more to it." 

"I know this is jumping the gun a little but I'm hopeful that once the treatments are over, Bucky would join us in missions. He would be comfortable with you there. I need you to be in top form by then. This could be as soon as a month or as long as 6 months to a year but physically, I need you back in combat shape. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can do that. You know I don't have super powers hence my step back..."

"Neither does Sam, Nat or Clint," Steve interjected. 

"OK. I'll start sparing with Sam and Wanda while you are treating Bucky and I'll be ready." 

"We might be up against Tony at some point," Steve said honestly to Sharon. 

"We'll deal with that when we have to," Sharon said, "but it won't come down to that."

Steve wasn't sure but didn't say anything to Sharon. The walk back was quiet and Nat was waiting for them with 2 mugs of steaming, black coffee. Her way of apologizing to Sharon. 

\---------------------------------------------

Sharon looked around the previously dull glass confinement. She was proud of her interior design skills. If avenging didn't work out, she had a fall back career. Dark blue curtains surrounded the room for privacy, a large bed with the best memory foam mattress money could buy instead of the hospital one, a huge TV on one side and a red sofa. Plush rugs all over the floor, and a few candles and plants to make it more homely. 

Hearing voices, Sharon rushed to the entrance. Bucky and Clint were standing there. Seeing Sharon, Clint said a quick goodbye and said, "Sharon, he's all yours." 

Bucky looked at one and then the other and asked, "What's going on?" 

"Nothing," Sharon said as she held his arms and turned him around. Covering his eyes with her hands, Sharon said, "I have a huge surprise for you," Sharon sang.

After the two of them entered the room, Sharon uncovered Bucky's eyes. 

"Wow..." Bucky admired the room. "Did you do this?" Bucky asked.

Sharon nodded and watched Bucky's face. It looked like a 5 year old on Christmas morning unwrapping his gift.

Bucky walked to the bed, kicked off his shoes and laid down on top of it. He placed his hands behind his head and sighed. "This bed feels like a what's that ...white pillow thing that you eat..."

"Marshmallow," Sharon supplied.

"That's it," Bucky said as he closed his eyes. "I hate the taste of them but the feel...ahhhhh...." 

Sharon laughed. She went to stand by Bucky. "How's the hand?"

"The real one or the metal one?" Bucky asked. His artificial one was finally complete and he had the arm attached for a little over a week. The skin around the arm had been red and warm the previous night. But that was nothing compared to his real hand which had a couple of broken knuckles and two broken fingers from one of his sessions with Bruce. 

"The real one," Sharon said.

"Painful," Bucky said. "more today than yesterday. I had to fight Steve and his jaw is made of steel."

"I'm sure the bones will heal by next week if you rest it enough. Super Soldiers! Makes it hard for me to feel sorry for you." She walked to the sofa where her purse rested. "I'll leave you to enjoy the room by yourself," Sharon flung the purse over her shoulder and started to walk out.

"Lie down," Bucky commanded. 

"Pardon?" Sharon asked as she turned around. 

"Lie down. You've worked hard today. You need to enjoy this bed," Bucky said.

"Well, I did work hard." Sharon slid the purse to the floor and sat on the mattress. She bounced a little and then laid on the bed. She turned onto her side and faced Bucky.

"This is nice," Sharon said. Bucky rolled towards Sharon. Their noses were a few inches away from each other. Sharon smiled and her smile was returned. 

"Thank you," Bucky said softly. "This is like my birthday and christmas for the last 70 years all rolled into one."

"You're welcome," Sharon said back. "But it really was nothing."

Bucky closed his eyes. "That hospital bed was horrible. This bed is ....amazing. You are amazing." He reached out and held Sharon's hand. He brought it to his lips and gave it a kiss.

Sharon felt tingles all over her body. "Maybe I should steal the bed."

"You can just sleep here anytime you want."

Bucky opened his eyes and looked at Sharon's. "How are you?"

"Good. Tired." Sharon felt sleep prick the back of her eyelids. 

For the first time in a long time, both of them felt safe. Sharon felt warm lips brush over hers and then darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter is up!

For several weeks, Sharon slept in Bucky's room. She made sure to leave and go back to her own room just as the sun was rising. Bucky was almost always asleep and even the few times that he wasn't, he never asked her to stay. 

Not all the sleepovers were platonic. Some of them were heavy make out sessions but Bucky, being the old-fashioned gentleman that he was, always put a break on things before things got too heavy. It left Sharon frustrated but she didn't want to push him if he wasn't comfortable. Gosh! When did she become the guy in this relationship?

One evening, Sharon was waiting in Bucky's room when Steve walked in.

"Hey," Sharon said casually. She was watching a movie on TV while Bucky was with Bruce. Steve looked a bit confused seeing Sharon so comfortable in Bucky's room but didn't comment on it.

"Hey," Steve said, "I wanted to talk to you about a mission Scott is heading up."

"Oh," Sharon's interest piqued up. 

"We just got word that there a terrorist cell in Uzbekistan. You aren't going to be on the ground. You need to operate from the quinjet and make sure the mission is going as planned. Scott is going to be the lead on the ground. Sam and Clint will assist. Wanda will help out with Bucky. It's should be an easy extraction. Terrorist Abe Abid needs to be apprehended and taken to Berlin. I am sending Natasha to Berlin ahead of you to make sure the proper protocols are taken to secure the prisoner. We need him alive."

"When should I be ready?" Sharon asked.

"Wheels up in 30 minutes," Steve said not looking up from his tablet.

"Wow. That's quick," Sharon said 

Steve lifted a brow. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No. I'm ready to go," Sharon said as she gathered her things an walked out of Bucky's room. She would have liked to talk to Bucky but she put that thought aside. She had 27 minutes to prep and every minute counted. 

Walking into the quinjet, Sharon saw that the rest of the team was getting ready as well. Scott looked serious as he was looking at the plans his tablet. Clint was checking at his ammunition and making sure everything was in order. Sam was giving his drone a final tweaking. 

Sharon went to her seat in the front of the jet. Taking a deep break, she started her own preparations. 

\-------------------

Wanda was helping Bruce with Bucky. Today was an easy day for Bucky, with Steve by her side, Wanda was attempting to revert Bucky's brain to that of the Winter Soldier. So far, no luck which was a good thing. They had been trying for hours and Wanda was tired but Bruce was a taskmaster and wouldn't let Wanda quit. 

Steve stepped in when he saw that Wanda was close to her breaking point. "That's enough for today," Steve said.

Bruce looked up at Steve and then looked at his watch. "It's a good time to stop."

Bucky looked tired but as he made his way up to Steve, the first thing he asked was not about himself. "Any news on the team?"

Steve shook his head. "Not from the extraction team. I lost communication with them 2 hours ago. I've sent Natasha over. Hopefully..." Steve was interrupted by his phone. He quickly grabbed it, "Natasha?" His worried expression changed to relief. He mouthed the words "everyone is OK" to Bucky. 

Bucky left a weight lift off of his shoulders. Waiting for Steve to finish his conversation, Bucky tapped his foot impatiently.

Once Steve placed his phone back into his pocket, he looked at everyone around the room. "It wasn't as simple as I thought it would be. But everyone is good. No injuries and the prisoner is in Berlin. The team should be back by morning."

Wanda looked exhausted as she said, "Thank goodness! One day of taking care of him," she pointed at Bucky, "and I'm ready to be in bed for a week."

Bucky smiled apologetically. 

"I'll take Bucky to his room. Why don't you head out for the night?" Steve said.

Bucky walked beside Steve and had a feeling that Steve wanted to say something to him. And Bucky was right.

"So you and Sharon?" Steve asked.

"Yup..." Bucky said as he took a gulp of water.

Steve cleared is throat and said, "You know Tony is going to kill you, right?"

"So what else is new?"

Steve laughed and said, "She'll be back in a few hours. Take care of her."

"I think she's taking care of me," Bucky said. 

"She needs some care too."

Bucky nodded in agreement.

___________________________

A few hours later, Sharon walked in. She looked like she had just had a bath. Her hair was still wet and her face looked fresh.

Bucky walked over to Sharon, grabbed her and gave her a deep kiss. "Hello to you too," Sharon said. Her eyes were dark with passion. 

Bucky didn't answer but kissed her again. His kiss was hard almost punishing, definitely passionate. Sharon's arms were around Bucky's neck as she pulled him down to her. Her chest was pressed hard against his. Bucky's hands traveled to the small of her back and pushed her to him. 

Bucky's lips traveled from Sharon's lips to her jaw and her neck. He sucked the soft skin and Sharon let out a moan. "James...Oooo...I love the welcome."

"I'm so happy that you are OK," Bucky slid his hands under Sharon's shirt. The skin was smooth and warm. He made his way up and unclasped the bra hook. His hands moved to the front and massaged the soft mounds of flesh. One hand was warm and the other cold. Sharon shivered. 

Sharon started to unbutton Bucky's shirt and planted soft kisses on his chest on the way. She, begrudgingly, moved out of Bucky's arms and got down on her knees and unbuttoned Bucky's jeans and unzipped the zipper. She placed her hands on the hard flesh and squeezed gently. It was Bucky's turn to moan.

Pulling out his hard, erect manhood, Sharon sucked the tip. Bucky's hands were in Sharon's hair, pressing her scalp. Sharon took more and more of him into her mouth and massaged his balls with her hand. "Stop, Sharon. Or I'm going to finish before we even start."

Sharon pulled out with a little pop sound, looking up she smiled at Bucky. He helped Sharon to her feet and quickly removed all of Sharon's clothes and then carried her to the bed. Gently throwing her on the bed, she bounced a little and laid on her back. She then raised herself up on her elbows. She admired Bucky's body as he shed his clothes. He positioned himself above her and like a predator, he moved slowly and very purposefully. 

Sharon giggled as Bucky found the very tender spot above her breast. She dug her fingers into Bucky's back and wrapped her legs around her waist. Bucky moved downward and sucked the pink, tender nipple gently with his mouth and with his other hand, he rolled the other nipple.

Sharon moved her hand and took Bucky's cock, placing it against her core. Bucky moved up and then with one powerful thrust, he was inside her. Sharon felt full and complete. She arched her back and wrapped her arms around him tightly. 

"I love you," Sharon whispered into Bucky's ear. 

Bucky raised his head and looking straight into Sharon's eyes, he huskily said, "I love you, too."

Sharon matched each of his thrusts with her own. Then with one loud moan, Sharon climaxed. Bucky followed soon after. They laid there for a while till their breathing became more steady. He slid off of Sharon and was lying next to her. 

"You Ok?" Bucky asked concerned.

"No. I'm not OK. I'm on fire," Sharon breathed out as she turned to smile at him.

Bucky laughed. "That's good, right?"

"That's great," Sharon said and turning her body towards Bucky, she tucked herself between his shoulder and chest. She kissed his chest. "You are so great."

Sharon heard the muffled sound of her phone ring. It was somewhere in the pile of clothes in the middle of the room.

"Just stay here. You don't have to get that," Bucky said.

"I'm too comfortable to move," Sharon said sleepily.

The phone stopped ringing and started again. "I have to get that," Sharon said and walked to get the phone. Bucky watched her and admired her body. 

Sharon picked the phone and squinted at the number, "I don't recognize the number..." Nevertheless she answered the phone, "Hello?"

Her face changed from confused to surprised, "I'm fine. Why do you ask? Of course, I'm OK."

Sharon raced around, "Hold on" she said to the person on the phone, she put on Bucky's shirt and picked up the remote. Turning the TV on, she quickly went to the news channel. 

The headline flashed: EARTHQUAKE IN INDONESIA. FEAR OF TSUNAMI. HUNDREDS DEAD, THOUSANDS INJURED.

"I'm not there anymore. I moved...I'm in Aust...Australia. " Sharon lied. Bucky's got up and started to put his jeans on and sat on the bed, waiting for Sharon's call to end. He knew who was on the other line.

The rest of Sharon's conversation consisted of "No's, Yes's and Of Course's". Finally, the call ended with an "I love you too. See you soon."

Sharon turned around slowly and looked at Bucky.

"Tony," Bucky said flatly.

Sharon nodded. "He wants me to come home. He thought I was in Indonesia and he freaked out. He apologized again and again. He said he misses me." Sharon said, not looking at Bucky but at an non-existent stain the rug.

"You're leaving?" Bucky asked.

"Just for two weeks. Maybe three," Sharon said. "He's my only family. I have to go to him."

"What about us?" 

Sharon walked over to Bucky and knelt between his legs. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "I love you. I will be back really soon. I promise."

"Are you going to tell him? About us?"

"I don't know." Sharon said honestly.

Bucky placed his chin on the top of Sharon's head. "When are you going?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Well, we have tonight," Bucky lifts Sharon's head by placing his finger under her chin and gives her a kiss. 

"We have a lifetime," Sharon said.


End file.
